Stats bigger than stature for SFA QB

Published 9:30 pm, Tuesday, August 31, 2010

NACOGDOCHES - For a brief moment, Jeremy Moses was lost in a crowd of Stephen F. Austin football players as the first-team offense prepared for drills near the end of Monday's practice.

Given his listed frame of 6-foot, 195 pounds, Moses probably would have been hard to pick out in just about any crowd. But when most of the players retreated to the sidelines and the offense took to the field, Moses was at the center of attention.

Moving with surgical-like precision, the senior quarterback executed one short dropback after another, surveyed the field and fired quick passes to wide receivers and backs. Teammates watched keenly as Moses received the play call from the sideline after each snap, keeping the Lumberjacks' no-huddle offense running smoothly.

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Moses doesn't have the prototypical size NFL scouts rave about, but his frame has proven to be just right for the college level.

Since 2008, Moses, a Baytown Lee product, has been one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the Football Championship Subdivision. In the last two seasons, he has thrown for 8,150 yards and 81 touchdowns. In 2009, Moses was the only FCS quarterback to surpass 4,000 yards, throwing for 4,124 and 40 touchdowns against 21 interceptions while completing 68 percent of his passes.

Moses, a 2009 All-American, did all this while leading the Lumberjacks to a 10-3 record, a share of the Southland Conference title and a trip to the second round of the FCS playoffs. He was also named the SLC's Co-Player of the Year.

"People look at me and say, 'Well, he's not going to be that great,'?" said Moses, who will pit his skills against Texas A&M on Saturday in College Station. "Whenever I got here, I was a little under 6-0 and weighed about 170 pounds, but they threw me in a spring game, and I lit it up.

"I don't care what the situation is. You can underestimate me all you want. But when I get on the field, good things are going to happen."

SFA's vaunted spread offense could prove problematic for Texas A&M. The Aggies had one of the nation's worst pass defenses last season, finishing 106th among 120 Football Bowl Subdivision programs with 254.7 passing yards allowed per game.

The Lumberjacks heavily utilize short- to mid-range passing, requiring Moses to rely more on short drops and quick reads than the deep ball. That offensive style also helps keep defenders from teeing off on Moses, who was sacked only 12 times last season.

"He's got an extremely quick release," offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Shannon Dawson said. "In our offense, you can't hold the football. Protection is one thing, but him getting rid of the football is extremely key."

Added sophomore receiver Gralyn Crawford: "He reads the defense so well. He knows who's going to be open, so he just puts the ball to where we can make plays on it. That's how he makes us look good."

Moses said he and the Lumberjacks' offense will be up for the task when they step onto Kyle Field.

"We don't look at it as if, 'We could go in there and do something big,'?" he said. "We are going to go in there, battle our butts off and come out with a win. That's our mind-set.

"Anytime we step on the field, we have the opportunity to win a football game. It doesn't matter whether it's A&M or Texas College; we're going to play it the same."